Early Modern Angelic Song In Francesco Patrizi's L'Amorosa Filosofia (1577)

10.1163/ej.9789004187665.i-472.39

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Chapter Summary

This chapter shows that the way in which Francesco Patrizi deals with cosmic harmony and earthly music in L'Amorosa Filosofia exemplifies a major transformation in the tradition of the harmony of the spheres. Through an analysis of his linguistic usage as well as the compositions he refers to in his L'Amorosa Filosofia, the chapter demonstrates that the magic of the medieval angelic song from the tradition of the harmony of the spheres is transferred to a new musical style: the highly refined and embellished performance practice of the Renaissance madrigal. It aims at the reconstruction of Patrizi's ideas on the sixteenth century madrigal in relation with the category of the sublime. The chapter focuses on one telling symptom of Patrizi's early modern philosophy: the consequences of the 'naturalisation' of music for the tradition of the music of the spheres.